How to get more high end in a P-90?

[David Schwab]

The cap is out of the circuit when the control is on 10.

No, the cap is in the circuit all the time, but on ten has the value of the pot between it and ground.

But you can hear the difference, or else the Fender TBX tone controls wouldn't work.

I agree that winding the P-90 will less turns will do the trick, as I mentioned I did this in the past. Works nicely.

[kevinT]

+1 on using fewer turns. However, if you decide to stay with traditional p90 specs, you'll have to tinker with other things to coax the sparkle out of the pickup.

[David Schwab]

Right, plus if you push the resonant frequency too high, it actually doesn't sound as bright, but more acoustic like. You just have to fiddle about until you hit the right mark (or figure out way to model the response, which sounds nice in theory).

Wire gauge can have a big impact as well.

[Mike Sulzer]

About the tone capacitor

To be more precise on the effect on brightness of changing the value of the capacitor in the tone circuit: when the tone control is on 10, its resistance is much larger than the magnitude of the impedance of the capacitor at high frequencies. The capacitor acts almost like a short circuit, and so its exact value (when the pot is on 10) is not an issue. In that sense, that is, behaving as a short circuit, it is not in the circuit, but could be replaced with a piece of wire. The pot, however, loads the pickup just like any other resistor placed across the pickup, decreasing brightness. As the pot is turned down from 10, the resistance decreases, and cuts the brightness still further. The capacitor plays a dominant role when the pot is closer to zero, preventing the low frequencies from being shorted out. Sorry about the confusion.

[Zhangliqun]

Try using a keeper bar. That will bring up the inductance and lower the resonant peak, which should give you a nice upper mid peak, which brightens up the tone.

I disagree. In my experience the keeper bar makes it smoother and darker. Removing it helpeld a lot toward de-mudding my neck pu's. I agree that dropping the number of turns will help. Something else that will help is using narrower bar magnets, about 3/8" wide instead of 1/2".

[David Schwab]

I disagree. In my experience the keeper bar makes it smoother and darker. Removing it helpeld a lot toward de-mudding my neck pu's. I agree that dropping the number of turns will help. Something else that will help is using narrower bar magnets, about 3/8" wide instead of 1/2".

That's true. Higher inductance works better with fewer winds.

My idea was if the resonant peak was too high, that would bring it down. That worked really well for me with my latest bass pickups.

It's all a balance.

[madialex]

I would also say back off the tension a little, this will brighten them up as well.

[black_labb]

re the resonant frequency, if one were to remove the bass plate to increase the resonant frequency, and then put more winds to get closer to the original resonant frequency, how similar would the pickup be tonally? im thinking that this would be a good way to get a higher output p90 with a simililar tone to a traditional p90.

[Possum]

...

no one has mentioned that if you use ceramic magnets that will brighten it up considerably, removing all that metal in the alnico is why.....

[Gtr_tech]

Using alnico rod magnets instead of the bar magnet and screw poles will sure brighten one up. I like'em that way for the neck pos.

[bbsailor]

Build an active buffer

To obtain more brightness or high end out of a P90 or any pickup, use a buffer to isolate the pickups from the capacitance loading of the guitar cable which adds about 30pf per foot. See this web site to build a buffer cable which puts the active FET in the guitar-end plug and requires no modifications of your guitar. http://www.till.com/articles/PreampCable/index.html

Joseph Rogowski